This invention relates generally to the field of generating activated gas containing ions, free radicals, atoms and molecules and to apparatus for and methods of processing materials with activated gas.
Plasma discharges can be used to excite gases to produce activated gases containing ions, free radicals, atoms and molecules. Activated gases are used for numerous industrial and scientific applications including processing solid materials such as semiconductor wafers, powders, and other gases. The parameters of the plasma and the conditions of the exposure of the plasma to the material being processed vary widely depending on the application.
For example, some applications require the use of ions with low kinetic energy (i.e. a few electron volts) because the material being processed is sensitive to damage. Other applications, such as anisotropic etching or planarized dielectric deposition, require the use of ions with high kinetic energy. Still other applications, such as reactive ion beam etching, require precise control of the ion energy.
Some applications require direct exposure of the material being processed to a high density plasma. One such application is generating ion-activated chemical reactions. Other such applications include etching of and depositing material into high aspect ratio structures. Other applications require shielding the material being processed from the plasma because the material is sensitive to damage caused by ions or because the process has high selectivity requirements.
Plasmas can be generated in various ways including DC discharge, radio frequency (RF) discharge, and microwave discharge. DC discharges are achieved by applying a potential between two electrodes in a gas. RF discharges are achieved either by electrostatically or inductively coupling energy from a power supply into a plasma. Parallel plates are typically used for electrostatically coupling energy into a plasma. Induction coils are typically used for inducing current into the plasma. Microwave discharges are achieved by directly coupling microwave energy through a microwave-passing window into a discharge chamber containing a gas. Microwave discharges are advantageous because they can be used to support a wide range of discharge conditions, including highly ionized electron cyclotron resonant (ECR) plasmas.
RF discharges and DC discharges inherently produce high energy ions and, therefore, are often used to generate plasmas for applications where the material being processed is in direct contact with the plasma. Microwave discharges produce dense, low ion energy plasmas and, therefore, are often used to produce streams of activated gas for xe2x80x9cdownstreamxe2x80x9d processing. Microwave discharges are also useful for applications where it is desirable to generate ions at low energy and then accelerate the ions to the process surface with an applied potential.
However, microwave and inductively coupled plasma sources require expensive and complex power delivery systems. These plasma sources require precision RF or microwave power generators and complex matching networks to match the impedance of the generator to the plasma source. In addition, precision instrumentation is usually required to ascertain and control the actual power reaching the plasma.
RF inductively coupled plasmas are particularly useful for generating large area plasmas for such applications as semiconductor wafer processing. However, prior art RF inductively coupled plasmas are not purely inductive because the drive currents are only weakly coupled to the plasma. Consequently, RF inductively coupled plasmas are inefficient and require the use of high voltages on the drive coils. The high voltages produce high electrostatic fields that cause high energy ion bombardment of reactor surfaces. The ion bombardment deteriorates the reactor and can contaminate the process chamber and the material being processed. The ion bombardment can also cause damage to the material being processed.
Faraday shields have been used in inductively coupled plasma sources to contain the high electrostatic fields. However, because of the relatively weak coupling of the drive coil currents to the plasma, large eddy currents form in the shields resulting in substantial power dissipation. The cost, complexity, and reduced power efficiency make the use of Faraday shields unattractive.
The high power plasma source of the present invention includes multiple high permeability magnetic cores that surround the plasma chamber. In one embodiment, separate switching power supplies are coupled to the primary winding of each of the multiple high permeability magnetic cores. In another embodiment, a single power supply is coupled to the primary winding of each of the multiple high permeability magnetic cores.
In one embodiment, the plasma chamber includes imbedded cooling channels for passing a fluid that controls the temperature of the plasma chamber. In another embodiment, the plasma chamber is formed of quartz and is thermally bonded to a fluid cooled supporting structure. In another embodiment, the plasma chamber is formed of anodized aluminum and is thermally bonded to a fluid cooled supporting structure.
In one embodiment, the plasma chamber is formed of metal. Metal plasma chambers include multiple dielectric regions that prevent induced current flow from forming in the plasma chamber. In one embodiment, the metal plasma chamber is segmented with multiple dielectric gaps to reduce the potential difference between the plasma and the metal plasma chamber, thereby distributing the plasma loop voltage across multiple dielectric gaps. The segmented plasma chamber facilitates operating the plasma source at relatively high loop voltages, while reducing or eliminating the plasma channel surface erosion. In another embodiment, circuit elements are used to control the voltage distribution across the metal plasma chamber.
In one embodiment, the power supply of the high power source includes a voltage regulator circuit that provides a stable DC bus voltage that allows the user to precisely control the total power supplied to the plasma. In one embodiment, the high power toroidal plasma source of the present invention includes an apparatus for reliably igniting the plasma.
The high power toroidal plasma source of the present invention has numerous advantages. The high power plasma source generates a relatively high power plasma with higher operating voltages that has increased dissociation rates and that allow a wider operating pressure range. Also, the high power plasma source has precise process control. In addition, the high power plasma source has relatively low plasma chamber surface erosion.
Accordingly, the present invention features apparatus for dissociating gases that includes a plasma chamber comprising a gas. In one embodiment, the plasma chamber may comprises a portion of an outer surface of a process chamber. In one embodiment, the plasma chamber comprises a dielectric material. For example, the dielectric material may be quartz. The dielectric material may be thermally bonded to a supporting structure. The supporting structure may include cooling channels that transport cooling fluid.
In another embodiment, the plasma chamber is formed of an electrically conductive material and at least one dielectric region that forms an electrical discontinuity in the conductive material. The electrically conductive material may be aluminum and the aluminum may be anodized. The electrically conductive material may be segmented with at least two dielectric gaps. The dielectric gaps reduce the potential difference between the plasma and the metal plasma chamber, thereby distributing the plasma loop voltage across the at least two dielectric gaps. A voltage divider circuit may be electrically coupled across the at least two dielectric gaps to distribute the plasma loop voltage across the at least two dielectric gaps.
The apparatus includes a first and second transformer. The first transformer has a first magnetic core surrounding a first portion of the plasma chamber and has a first primary winding. The second transformer has a second magnetic core surrounds a second portion of the plasma chamber and has a second primary winding. The apparatus also includes first and second solid state AC switching power supply.
The first solid state AC switching power supply includes one or more switching semiconductor devices that is coupled to a first voltage supply and has a first output that is coupled to the first primary winding. The second solid state AC switching power supply includes one or more switching semiconductor devices that is coupled to a second voltage supply and has a second output that is coupled to the second primary winding. The voltage supplies may include a voltage regulator circuit.
The one or more switching semiconductor devices may be switching transistors. In one embodiment, the output of the one or more switching semiconductor devices is directly coupled to the primary winding. The solid state AC switching power supplies may be substantially identical. Also, the solid state AC switching power supplies may comprise a single power supply unit.
In operation, the first solid state AC switching power supply drives a first AC current in the first primary winding. The second solid state AC switching power supply drives a second AC current in the second primary winding. The first AC current and the second AC current induce a combined AC potential inside the plasma chamber that directly forms a toroidal plasma that completes a secondary circuit of the transformer and that dissociates the gas.
The apparatus includes an apparatus to assist in igniting the plasma. In one embodiment, an electrode is positioned in the plasma chamber that generates free charges that assist the ignition of the plasma in the plasma chamber. In another embodiment, the apparatus includes a secondary winding that resonates with the primary winding and raises the voltage in the plasma chamber to assist ignition of the plasma in the plasma chamber. In another embodiment, an ultraviolet light source is optically coupled to the plasma chamber. The ultraviolet light source generates free changes that assist the ignition of the plasma in the plasma chamber.
The present invention also features a method for dissociating gases. The method includes confining a gas in a plasma chamber at a pressure. A first and a second current are generated with a first and a second solid state AC switching power supply. The first and the second current induce a combined AC potential inside the plasma chamber by passing the first current though a first primary winding having a first magnetic core surrounding a first portion of the plasma chamber, and by passing the second current though a second primary winding having a second magnetic core surrounding a second portion of the plasma chamber. The combined induced AC potential directly forms a toroidal plasma that completes a secondary circuit of the transformer and dissociates the gas. The method may be used for cleaning process chambers.
The method may include regulating the current generated with the first and the second solid state AC switching power supply. The method may also include providing an initial ionization event in the plasma chamber. In addition, the method may include measuring electrical parameters of the primary and secondary and adjusting a magnitude of the current generated by the first and the second solid state AC switching power supply in response to the measured electrical parameters.